Italian restaurant for a Myeongdong date: shrimp crab pasta, squid-ink

The weather's been so nice lately and I've been craving something delicious, haha. I had plans in Myeongdong and was trying to figure out where to go, and I finally found a place with genuinely perfect vibes and taste!

It's a real, certified favorite endorsed by the Blue Ribbon Survey, so my expectations exploded the moment I walked through the door. Today I'm introducing Mano di Chef, a Myeongdong restaurant that nailed both atmosphere and taste!

The Blue Ribbon-endorsed spot: Mano di Chef in Myeongdong

If you're standing in the middle of Myeongdong wondering where to go and want a place that won't disappoint, I can confidently recommend this one.

It's on the 11th floor of the Unesco Building, and there are a few steps at the entrance, just so you know. The Blue Ribbon Survey certification mark greets you right at the entrance, which already had me trusting the place before I even walked in.

Once you step inside, the lighting is soft and the interior is genuinely upscale, so just sitting down puts you in a good mood.

Private room and a table for six

There's a private space that's slightly separated like a room, plus a spacious group table that seats up to six.

For a wedding invitation gathering, an end-of-year meetup, or any meal where you need to talk quietly, booking here would honestly earn you compliments!

They also have great set menus with steak or lobster, so it'd be perfect for an elegant, knife-and-fork company dinner too.

Mano di Chef Myeongdong menu and prices

Thick and creamy done right: shrimp and crab pasta

Okay, let me calm down now and go through today's dishes one by one. The first star is the shrimp and crab pasta!

The sauce was so thick and rich it hit my taste exactly right. A cream pasta should have a rich, thick sauce, right? The thick cream sauce coated everything perfectly and I honestly gasped out loud.

On top of that, both plump large shrimp and regular-sized ones were packed in generously, no holding back. Shrimp kept coming no matter how much I ate, and as a shrimp lover I nearly cried tears of joy. If you like cream pasta, ordering this will absolutely not disappoint you!

Squid-ink dough meets steak: the steak pizza

The second dish we ordered alongside the pasta was the steak pizza!

I was genuinely shocked by the amount of beef steak topping on the pizza. Every slice had steak piled generously on top, so each bite burst with juices.

The dough here isn't regular dough — it's squid-ink dough, so it's light and thin and easy to keep eating without feeling heavy. The combination of pizza cheese and the special sauce was so perfect, it was totally my style.

Pairing it with crisp, refreshing pickles made it absolutely perfect. The two of us came for a Myeongdong date and ordered one pasta and one pizza to share, and the portion was just right — a truly perfect meal.

At the end, dragging a piece of pizza through the leftover cream pasta sauce and eating it in one bite is the perfect finish 👍

A Myeongdong pasta spot great for both dates and gatherings

The atmosphere is so nice it'd be more than perfect for a date or a blind date with someone you love. With delicious food plus a pretty atmosphere, the conversation flowed easily and I lost track of time. It was so good we scraped both the pizza and pasta plates clean♡

On a day when you're craving good pasta and pizza in Myeongdong and want to spend a lovely time in a great atmosphere, be sure to visit Mano di Chef, the Blue Ribbon favorite in Myeongdong! You really won't regret it.